Ann Robinson (uSwitch) strikes again!

C_Mababejive

Leaving aside Anne Robinsons commentary it is clear that there are issues with regard to an integrated energy policy in this country and that those issues are going to get much worse. Further,the people who will pay the price is end consumers.

This is the price we will all pay for..

The privatisation of our energy industry

Our exposure to foreign energy supplies

Our failure to build replacement generation plant

Our dash for gas with respect to fuel and fuel for future power stations.


For those who live in Manchester,if you pass through Partington at the moment,you will notice a huge construction project taking place. An 18" steel high pressure pipeline is under construction.

It will take huge volumes of natural gas from the transmission network at Partington station,across the road toward the new paper mill and it will fuel a power station which is currently under construction.

The build cost is at least £500m and have a capacity of 850Mw.

Where will the gas come from?

Well we have limited supplies from our own wells,we can also buy expensive gas shipped down continental interconnectors and we can use Liquified gas shipped into the Isle of Grain regasification plant.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=isle+of+grain+gas&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&ved=0CFoQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalgrid.com%2FNR%2Frdonlyres%2FF57A356F-603E-4738-ABFF-26920C061A71%2F41131%2FGrainBrochure0209.pdf&ei=qLNQUfb8MISMO7iXgcgO&usg=AFQjCNGD4EEXdoxhPJtPTqEwr314yzUsDQ&bvm=bv.44158598,d.ZWU

The dash for gas will drive both gas and electricity prices up ,up and up again.

thor

andymd wrote: »

Ann Robinson's title might as well be Business Development Director - uSwitch.

Her role is to make people as angry as possible to encourage people switch, preferably using her website.

She may work for uswitch but where in the article are you seeing her urging people to switch? Try as I might, I cannot find any evidence of this.
Elsewhere no doubt she does espouse moving to cheaper deals but is that any worse than Martin wanting savers and borrowers to be 'rate tarts'? Is this not what capitalism is all about? The freedom to choose who you do business with?

andymd

thor wrote: »

She may work for uswitch but where in the article are you seeing her urging people to switch? Try as I might, I cannot find any evidence of this.

This article doesn't have the full quote from her. I read a quote from her elsewhere claiming prices would rise by £200 because of the cold weather. This is nonsense and is designed to scare people into signing up to fixed price contracts through uSwitch.

thor wrote: »

Elsewhere no doubt she does espouse moving to cheaper deals but is that any worse than Martin wanting savers and borrowers to be 'rate tarts'? Is this not what capitalism is all about? The freedom to choose who you do business with?

Absolutely, not much difference between her and Martin Lewis. I have no problem with her advice when it is designed to help the customer, but in her case I get the sense she/uwitch are mainly interested in the commision they gets from switching. Although Martin is obviously getting rice from his advice, it doesn't seem to be his primary motivation.

MillicentBystander

One of the awful consequences of the privatising of the energy industry and the introduction of the internet has been the switching site (I always baulk at calling them comparison sites because if they didn't get handsomely rewarded for switching you they simply wouldn't exist and the Govt. would probably have to take up the cause). It just adds yet another layer of costs (which we the consumer pay for in increased bills) to the whole sorry shebang. Don't get me wrong, I've used them to full effect because they are there and I can but they basically sum up this industry for me.

Cardew

MillicentBystander wrote: »

One of the awful consequences of the privatising of the energy industry and the introduction of the internet has been the switching site (I always baulk at calling them comparison sites because if they didn't get handsomely rewarded for switching you they simply wouldn't exist and the Govt. would probably have to take up the cause). It just adds yet another layer of costs (which we the consumer pay for in increased bills) to the whole sorry shebang. Don't get me wrong, I've used them to full effect because they are there and I can but they basically sum up this industry for me.

If the Energy Saving Trust(EST) wanted to do something really useful they would set up a comparison website which we could all use to get accurate(or at least unbiased) advice.

The cost of these commercial comparison websites runs into many £millions which we all pay. On top of that there is the staff needed in the utility companies to deal with the merry-go-round of switching customers.

Some while ago evidence given by the bosses of Utility companies to a Parliamentary Committee, stated that some 30% of customers actually switched to a more expensive tariff.

The lure of champagne, Nectar points, cashback and an initially lower DD is irresistable to some people.